YSU Theater to mark anniversary

Youngstown State University Theater’s 50th anniversary season will begin next month, and will include an original drama, a commemorative musical, a holiday cabaret, a Shakespeare reprisal, two one-act plays, the annual Dance Ensemble concert and a double-bill opera.

The world premiere of the play, “Tribunal,” by local playwright Mark Milo Kessler, will open the season Oct. 18. Both Spotlight Theater and Ford Theater are inside Bliss Hall, on Wick Avenue.

Unlike in past years, shows this season will open on Fridays. There will be no Thursday performances. Curtain times are 7:30 (Sunday matinees will begin at 2 p.m.). Season subscriptions are $40; call 330-941-3105 or email performingarts@ysu.edu.

Here is the schedule:

“Tribunal,” Spotlight Theater, Oct. 18-20, 25-27: A woman’s struggle to flee Nuremberg for a Nazi refuge drives her into an unlikely alliance with a translator for the landmark Nuremberg Trial. The inexplicable nature of his kindness forces her to acknowledge the consequences of her deepest beliefs.

“Celebrating 50 Years Of University Theater: A Musical Commemoration,” Ford Theater, Nov. 8-10, 15-17: A showcase of past and future productions.